Automatic regulator



Oct. 16, 1923.

E. GROSSENBACHE'R AUT OMAT I G REGULAT 0H Filed obi. 19. 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 16 1923. 1,470,971

. E. GRossl-:NBACHER AUTOMATIO REGULATOR Filed Oct. 19. 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Hf' /QC "7% m l1 c 1 f3 ,/9

mvfuron w/m/fssfs M. gm; L M I momv s Patented Oct.s 16, 1923.

UNITED STATES ERNEST GBOISSEN'BACHER, 0E' FAJARDO, PORT@ RICO.

umorismo REGULATOR,

Application filed October 19, 1920. Serial No. 418,19.

To if-ll? teflon?, may concern:

Re it known that L ERNEST @missenuxuiiue. :i eitizen of the United States, and resident ol Fajardo, Porto Rico, have invented certain neY and useful mprovements in Automaticv Regulators, of which the 'Following is a` specitieation.

My invention relates to regulators and has Jfor its object to rovide a simple and ellicient apparatus whereby the admixture of certain predetermined medie, may be automatically controlled and whereby the proportions ot the admxture may be auto statically maintained at a relatively con,- starrt` point. l lurther object ot my im'cn tion is to construct the regulator iu such a rfi-,inner that it may be readily adjusted to automatically provide any Variety ol admin tures which mayv be desired. The invention will be fully described hereinafter and the features of novelty will he pointed out in the appended claims.

it will be understood that the regulator may be used for controlling the admixture of a plurality of gaseous media, a plurality of liquid media,` gaseous and liquid media, liquefied solids with any other medium, gasilied liquids with any other medium, liquefied gases with any other medium, and in short may he utilized in connection with the admixture of any unmoer andy churarter ot' media in the predetermined proportion regardless of the quantity or volume. Thus in practice, the apparatus is, for instance, adai'itahle to the admixture of paints or chemicals or for maintaining the correct mixture ot' the Welding gas iuoJiy-acetylene welding apparatus or it may be utilized in connection withy oil burning furnaces tol automatically regulating the proportions ot fuel and atomiziog agent for which the in; Yention is admirably adapted. For the purposes o t' illustration and description and without intending to define the lumtff, ot

comprises at main body l0 of suitable form and construction and provided at its upper end with an axial bore tor the accouuuodution of a pistou rod hereinafter referred to, said body at its lower end being internally screwtlrreaded' for the reception of a cylinder 1l. In the preferred construction, the latter is screwed tightly against? im internal annular shoulder lf2 formed on the body l() and is externally screwthreaded at its louer end to receive the cylinder cover 13 which is constructed with a hub lll haring an internally screwthreaded axial bore l5 in which one end ot a suitable iircssure pipe `whereby the regulator is connected, for instance, with a, boiler, is secured. The hub 14, in the illustrated example, projects in- Wardly beyond the inner" surface otn the cover and has its external portion preferably ot polygonal shape 'for the accommodation ot a 1Wrench or other tool whereby the manipulation of the cover ll is facilitated.

The regulator includes lurther a, plurali-ty of valve casinggs, preferably compris` ing integral parts of the body l0. the illustration showing two casings if and l? l cated at diametrically oppositey points en teriorly of said body and haring no comv munication with the interior ther-cot'. These casii s lGeI-id li' are iu the 'forni o" straight bored cylinders, the iii-rcs ot which are parallel tothe axis of; the body lll. said casings being threaded :it lioth ends to receive the stutling boxes l? which may he of any Well known construction und preferably are of a deep, type so as to se cure tightness without undue pressure upon the packing. In some instances, the casings LG and 17b may be provided, with :1 stalling hoX at one end onlyr as in cases Where the iressure ot the medium on the valve stein does not atleet the operation of the valve. The casings l and 17 are further provided with port openings 16a and 16 and 1T and Jb respectively, the openings 16 and lT lacing; connected with the oil burner, While the o-peniulfrs lGb and 1T" are in communication, ree-goectirely with a. sour-ce of liquid fuel such as oil and an atomizing agent such as steam. The port openings at their inner end portions are` shaped and dimensioned in a predetermined manner in accordance with the particular purpose for which the regulator, in each case, is in,-

tended and the proportioning of the medium which is to pass through each valve casing and in the illustrated example are ot ref tangular form.

Each casing 16 and 1T contains a valve 19 and 2t) respectively.y which valves are carr'cd by valve stems 21 either as integral parts thereof or as separate elements suitably connected with said stems, the valves being capable ot being moved both lengthwise and rotatably in said casings as will be more fully pointed out hereinafter. The valves 19 and 20 are cylindrical and hollow and preferably are split lengthwise as indicated at 22 to permit of expansion and contraction under temperature changes; in order to maintain a tight fit of the valves in the casings said valves themselves i'nay possess an inherent outward elasticity or any suitable means may be combined with said valves which tend to spread them apart at the split for bringing about the same result. Port openings 19a and 13b and 20 and 20rl are formed in the .valls of the valves at appropriate points and co-operate with the ports 16, 1G", 17a and 17h as will appear more fully hereinafter. the valve portsl being also of a shape and of dimensions predetermined by the medium which is to pass through said valves. The valve stems 2l may, as showin comprise straight cylindrfcal rods which in the illustrated example project through and beyond the stutling boxes 18 at each end of the casings 16 and 17 and at their upper ends extend through a yoke with which said stems are connected by means of devices 24 and 242l in surface engagement with the upper face of said yoke and retainers 25 and 25a in surface engagement with the lower face of said yoke. The devices and retainers are preferably in the form of annular menibers and may be fastened t'o the stems 20 in any convenient manner as by means of taper pins 26, the arrangement being such that the devices and retainers in conjunction with the stems 21 are rotatable about their axes relatively to the yoke 23 whereby the valves 19 and 20 are similarly actuated relatively to their respective casings for adjustment purposes, as will be more fully pointed out further on in the description. The retainers 25 and 25al are recessed for the accommodation of spring Washers 27 which by bearing against the opposed surfaces of the yoke 23 and retainers 25 and 25 maintain the parts against unintentional actuation. In order to facilitate the rotative manipulation of the valves 1.9 and 20 the devices 24 and 24a may be provided with handles 28 and in addition said devices may have suitable graduations 29 produced, for instance, upon their upper surfaces for cooperation with suitable pointers 30 fixed upon the yoke 23 whereby the adjustments of said valves 18 and 19 are visibly indicated. Similarly for indicating the vertical adjustments of said valves,y one or both stems 21 may be provided at their lower ends with an indicator 31 of suitable form arranged for cooperation with designations 32 of any desired type indicative of the positions of said valves and produced for instance7 upon the cylinder 11.

The regulator includes further a control bushing 33 preferably in the form of a cupshaped body having an axial bore located in registry with the previously mentioned axial bore of the body 10, said bushing being further'provided with external threads 34 and internal threads 35 of the same pitch. The one end of the bushing 33 bears against the outer end of the main body 10 and at its opposite end carries a hand wheel 36 which is detaehably fastened thereto in any convenient manner as by means of one or more screws 3T and one or more lugs 38 fitting into co-operating recesses on said bushing; the hand wheel 36 which constitutes a means whereby the bushing 33 is rotatably actuated also comprises a cover therefor as is clearly shown in Fig. 1. The bushing 33, through the medium of the external screwthreads 34, is in screwthreaded engagement with the yoke 2S, *he outward movement of which, relatively to said bushin is arrested by the hand wheel 36, while its inward relative movement is limited by an annular shoulder 2) formed on the bushing 33 as illustrated in Fig. 1.

A. regulating nut 40 is located Within the bushing 33 in screwthreaded engagement with the internal threads thereof and is recee-sed for the reception of the head 41 of a retaining rod 42 which in practice1 as '.vill be more fully pointed out hereinafter, is required at times,y to be fixed relatively to said regulating nut and at other times said nut s required to be rotatable relatively to said rod 42. Any suitable arrangement may be provided for attaining these results; for instance. as shown, a cut 43 may extend diametrically across the head 41 in registry with diametrically opposite cuts 44 in the nut Ll() for the accommodation of a key 45 which itself is removably fastened in place by means of a screw 4G. The retaining rod 42 extends into a hollow piston rod 47 located within the body 10 and projecting through registering axial bores of the body and of the control bushin 33 as shown in Fig. 1; in order to reduce riction to a minimum, the intermediate portion of said rod l2 may be undercut or reduced in diameter as indicated at 48. The hollou7 piston rod 47 is provided with an annular shoulder 49 which may comprise an integral part of said rod or which may be formed by shrinking a suitable bushing upon said rod in which case the outer end portion of the latter may be of -relatively increased diameter as shown in the illustrated example.

llltl may be again actuated to cause the yoke 23 to descend further on the control bushing 33 and to open the valves 19 and 20 until the flame at the burner is of sufficient strength or intensity. lf changes in the viscosity of the oil due for instance, to changes in the oil temperature take pla-ce, proper adjustments of the valves 19 and 20 to compensate for the change may be made through the medium of the devices 24 and 24 in the manner previously described; any changes in the flame dueto atmospheric conditions such as chan e ci atmospheric temperature may similarly be corrected by pro-perly adjusting Vthe valves 19 and 20 by means of said quadrants.

If steam from the boiler is now admitted through the port l to theV cylinder 11, theV pressure of said steam will raise the piston 54 against the tension of the pressure spring 58 and will correspondingly move the piston rod 47 relatively to the retaining rod 42. If the pressure increases suilciently, the described movement of the parts will cause the end or' the piston rod 47 to engage and exert a push against the regulating nut 41, thus raising the control bushing 33 from its seat on the body and carrying with it the stems 21 and valves 19 and 20, which, as a result, are closed to such a degree that just enough fuel and atomizing a ent will reach the burner to maintain the ioiler pressure for which the apparatus is set. An air hole ill is preferably drilled in the casing 10 at any suitable point to permit the air to escape 'when the spring 58 is compressed.

'ihe regulator is next set for automatic control by first removing the hand wheel 36 from the control bushing'33 which may be readily accomplished by simply taking out the screws 3T and which exposes the interior ot said bushing; the screw 46 and the key 45 are then successively removed, which leaves the regulating nut 40 free to rotate relatively to the retaining rod 42. By means of a suitable socket wrench or other tool which may now be inserted into the bushing 33, the regulating nut 4() is rotated relatively to said bushing 33, which preferably manuallyY hele. in position against turning, and which, by the action of said nut 40 is caused to move away from the body 10. rhis movement is communicated by the stems 21 to the valves 19 and 20 and is continued until the latter are closed suteiently to reduce the flame at the burner enough to maintain the boiler pressure without causing the customary safety valve to blow oli'. After this pressure adjustment has been made, the key and screw 46 are replaced to again x the regulating nut 41 on the retaining rod 42 and the hand wheel 36 is again fastened upon the control bushing 33 by the screws 37 It will be understood that by screwing the regulating nut 40 up, a higher pressure will be obtained and that a lower pressure will result from a downward adjustment of said nut.

If the boiler pressure drops, the pressure spring 58 counteracting said boiler pressure will move the'piston 54 downwardly and lower the end of the piston rod 47 relatively to the regulating nut 49, thus permitting the control bushing 33 and oke 23 to drop whereby the valves 19 an 20 are opened to increase the supply of fuel and atomizing agent until equilibrium again exists between the boiler pressure and fuel consumption. Thisautomatic control continues as long as the regulator is in operation and is accurate A- und efficient and always definitely in accord with the degree of boilcr'pressurewhich it is desired to maintain.

Should the boiler pressure, for any reason, drop swiftly and thus cause the regulator to open the valves 19 and 20 considerablyV in order to regain equilibrium, the flame at the burner might suddenly increase to such a degree as to become harmful to the contig` nous parts of the furnace. This contingency may subsequently ie avoided by relieving the cylinder 11 ot team pressure and then turning the hand wheel 36 to adjust the valves 19 and 20 until the flame in the furnace is of such strength as is deemed safe for continuous operation under extreme conditions. A, mark to indicate the valve adjustment at this stage may then be made upon the cylinder 11 in registry with the indicator 31 after which steam pressure may again be admitted to said cylinder and the automatic operation of the regulator thus continued. The niark referred to may thereafter be utilized to the maximum opening ofthe valves 19 and 20 each time after the boiler has been steamed up and before it is put into service; the boiler should not be steamed up with the valves opened to this mark as in such case the resulting flame would be too strong for the relatively cool furnace and boiler.

It will be noted, when the regulator works automatically, that the retaining spring 50 is at rest and simply moves up and down with the piston 54 and piston rod 47 while during such times as the regulator is manually operated through the medium of the hand wheel 36, said spring 50 will be compressed or extended between the shoulder 49 and cup 51 as the latter is caused to move lengthwise of the piston rod 47 by means of the pin 52 and retaining rod 42. As the said retaining spring 50 is of less strength than the pressure spring 58, the former may be compressed to a considerable extent between the shoulder 49 and cup 51 without causing any movement of the piston and piston rod by reason of pressure exerted by said spring 50 against said shoulder 49.

It will be further noted that in adjusting the valves 19 and 20 by means of the hand Wheel 36, the yoke 23 is screwed up and down on the control bushing 33, which Vmioveiznents are communicated to said valves through the medium of the stems 21. At the same time, the regulating nut 40 Whii is prevented from turning with the control bushing by the screw 59 and key-way 6() in the piston rod 47, is actuated concurrently and in funison with said yoke and its connected parts. As the inside thread 35 and outside Vthread 34 are both identical in pitch, the yoke 23 and regulating nut 4Q, once the latter has been adjusted for pressure as previously described, vvill always bear the same relation to each other as is clearly shown in Fig. 1.

Instead of having the valves 19 and 2Q constructed as in Figs. 1 to l inclusive, theV same may be of the form shown in Figs. 5 and 6, in which said valves are provided with a plurality of ports 19, all of which communicate with the interior :of the valve and which are capable'o being all brought into registry With a plurality of similaiports 16 with which the valve casing-s in this form are provided, or successively .moved into and out of registry therewith by means of the mechanism described with respectto the valves 19 and 20. The ports 19c may also be yof dimensions and form predetermined by the mediums which are intended to pass through the valves equipped therewith, which require only reiatively slight movements in vertical directions to fully open or close the same or to adjust said valves to any intermediate positions. The automatic action of the regulator is thus rendered eX- tremely sensitive.

The valves 19 and 20 Whether constructed as in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive or as in Figs. 5 and 6 may be termed dual motion valves and may be utilized in combination with any suitable type of mechanism. The valves may be operated mechanically or automatically entirely, or entirely by manual actuation or one motion of said valves may be automatic While the other is manual and vice versa or all motions of said valves may be partly automatic and partly manual, as may be desired.

Any variety of areas of openings may be secured by adjusting the valve in both mctions possible or in one and not in the other, etc.; the rotative adjustments of the valve may be indicated by a graduated device as shown, the designations being degrees of a circle or representing units of the port openings and the adjustments in directions parallel with the axes of said valve may also, as

shown, be indicated by suitable designations,

may be need, .at nii times. in square inches. by means ci which the quantity o the medium passing thaioagh the valve may br nmsured fsurafte'ly, if the pressiilre under which the medium travels, is known. are seme of the advantages ott the valve when used either single or double.

llVhen used in multiple, the valves have the additional advantage that a plurality of them may im concurrently operated throughout ythe movements in one direction whilr being individually adjustable in this direction and also in the other direction of motion of which said valves are capable.

The regulator is simple in construction and efficient in operation and may be utilized in en case when?. `rei-.gulation of a mi diam 1s Vdesired or Where an admixture of media in predetermined, constant or varying proportions is desired to be delivered and maintained 'at a' given point.

Various changes in the forms shown and described may be made within 'the scope ot' the claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A regulator comprising a body having a plurality of inlets and a plurality of eo operating outlets, valves controllingr `said inlets and outlets, said valves being Vmovable in axial directions and being also rotatable about their aises, actuating mechanism Vfor operating said valves in laxial directions and including means whereby the initial positions ed said valves relatively to said inlets and outlets is varied and means whereby said valves are rotatably adjusted to vary the edective areas 0i said inlets and outlets.

2. A regulator comprising a body havingr a plurality of inlets and a plurality of cooperating outlets, valves controlling said inlets and outlets, said valves being movable in axial directions and being also rotatable about their axes, means for concurrently adjusting all of said valves in axial directions whereby the initial positions of said valves relatively to said inlets and outlets is varied` actuating means for operatingr said valves in axial directions and adjusting devices rigidly connected with said valves and rictionally connected with said actuating means whereby said valves are rotatably adjusted to vary the effective areas of said inlets and outlets.

8. A regulator comprising a body having inlets and outlets arranged in cci-operating pairs, valves movable in axial directions to control said inlets and outlets, and being rotatable to vary the effective area of said inlets and outlets, an adjustable device bearing a fixed relation to said valves, means whereby the initial positions of said valves and said device are concurrently varied Without disturbing said fixed relation, ad-

These justing devices whereby said valves are in1 dependently rotatable to var7 the effective area. ot' said inlets and outlets and actuat ing ineens (3o-operating with said adjustable device to operate said valves.

l. regulator comprising a body, a pluralit),v of valve casings carried by said body and having inlets and outlets, valves Inova; ble lengthwise of said easings to control said inlets and outlets, a yoke connected with said valves, a Control-bushing whereby said yoke is adjusted to vary the initial positions of said valves and means within said body whereby said control-bushing and Yoke are actuated to concurrently operate said valves.

A regulator Comprising a body, a plurality of valve casings carried by said body :md having inlets and outlets, valves moya:1 ble lengthwise ot said casings to control said inlets and outlets, and rotatable in said rasings to vary the effective area of said inlets and outlets, a yoke connected with id valves` an adjustable abutment harina;

a lined relation to said valves, a controh bushing whereby said yoke and abutment are concurrent to vary the initial positions oi' s-.iid valves and abutment without'disturbing said iixed relation, a piston within said body, a piston rod carried thereby and arranged to engage said abutment as said piston is actuated whereby said control-bush* ing and yoke are actuated to concurrently operate said valves and means frictionally engaging said yoke whereby said valves are rotatably adjusted.

6. A. regulator comprising a body, a plurality ot valve casings carried by said body and having inlets and outlets of predeter mined shape and dimensions, valves in said casings having port openings of predetermined shape and dimensions 3o-operating;n with said inlets and outlets, said valves be ingr movable lengthwise of said casings Lo control said inlets and outlets and rotatable therein to vary the effective area of said inlets and outlets, a yoke, quadrants and quadrant retainers rigidly connected with said valves whereby the latter are rotatably connected with said yoke, handles for actuating said quadrants to rotate said valves, a cup-shaped eontrol-bushing,l operatively connectedV with said yoke, a. regulating nut within said bushing and operatively connected therewith in predetermined fixed relation to said valves, a` hand wheel for rotating said bushing to concurrently adjust the initial positions of said valves and said regulating nut without disturbii'lr said fixed relation, a retaining rod connected with said regulating nut and extending into said body, a piston rod slidaibly mounted on said retaining rod and arranged to engage said regulating nut whereby said controln bushing and yoke are actuated to concurrently operate said valves, a piston in said body connected with piston rod to operate the same and a spring whereby said piston is returned to normal position.

1n testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ERNEST GROSSENBACHER. 

